Quote:
Originally posted by NotFromHere
I have a dilemma. Boss of a very good friend has a kid who wants to go to law school. Has recently graduated from a small college and I think had really good grades.
Kid wants to go to Stanford. They gave kid my phone number and told em to call me for advice. After I stop laughing, what to I tell em?
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I get this a lot. If I know the young person I spend some time thinking about whether that person has a personality that fits being a lawyer. Of course there are many personality types but I find there are certain traits that need to be there, especially in a litigator.
When I speak with the person, if I feel her or she has those traits I discuss that with em. I also discuss the pros and cons of the practice. The fact it isn't like it seems on law and order or la law, that much of it is drudgery. I always talk with them about different options. I ask them why they think they want to go to law school, what they expect out of it, what they hope to accomplish with their careers.
I am well aware that many attorneys are unhappy, but there are some who are quite happy with their work as well. I try to make this quite clear to the person. I talk about why it seems people are unhappy, and what the people who see to be happy have in common.
If after talking with the person I think it is a very bad idea that he or she go to law school, I have no problem telling them directly that I think this. And I always tell the person who asks me to talk to the young person that I will not hesitate to tell them this if it looks to me like he or she wants to go for the wrong reason or it becomes clear to me that it would be a big mistake. I make sure they understand this and tell them if they don't want the risk that someone will say this to their child, then they best ask someone else to discuss it with them. If on the other hand I know the child and think he or she will fit, obviously, that warning is not needed.
Most often I find however that the person has no questions, hasn't given it any thought and is totally unprepared to speak with me. And then I am irritated with them for wasting my time.
